Harry's Secret Strength
by dragondance
Summary: Harry receives a mysterious letter from Dumbledore, and becomes the most important weapon in the coming war. He also discovers his true feelings for one bushy haired girl. Rated for later chapters.
1. An unexplained message

A/N: I own none of the characters you recognize, only the plot. I love J.K. Rowling and admire her ability to create such a wonderful series of books.

It was a sunny, windless morning on Privet Drive, the birds were chirping and the grass was just shaking off what was left of the morning dew. Looking closely at number four, in the Begonia patch was none other than Harry Potter. His hair was wildly bouncing up and down and his eyes teared at the corners as he fought to keep his laughter silent from his whale of a cousin Dudley, who was frantically rushing about the small, clean little kitchen looking for the cupcakes. Eavesdropping on Harry's phone calls had been a recent past time of Dudley's, so Harry had decided to accidentally mention, very loudly, that his aunt Petunia had hidden a large batch of cupcakes she had made surreptitiously the night before. Harry could barely keep down his laughter as he peeked over the sill of the kitchen window. He could see Dudley's huge butt sticking out of the cupboard and hear his cousin's frustrated grunts as he failed yet again to locate the cupcakes. Still laughing, Harry fell back to the cool earth of the Begonia patch and wondered what his friends were doing that very minute. Harry had received a call from Hermione that day telling Harry of the plans the Weasley's had for the holidays. He would be going to the Burrow at the end of the month to spend the rest of the summer. Sighing, Harry rolled over and counted the days in his head until the end of the month. There were sixteen. He moaned to himself thinking of what he could possibly do for the better part of two weeks until he could leave this place.

Summer at the Dursley's had not been that bad this time around, maybe it was because of the confrontation at King's Cross when he had arrived back from his fifth year. Smiling, he thought about the horrified looks on the Dursley's faces when Moody had threatened them. Strangely, since he had been home, Harry hadn't been ordered or asked otherwise to do anything around the house. It was as if the Dursley's were ignoring Harry altogether, which was fine with him. Harry's thoughts shifted to the last couple weeks of the term and the battle in the Department of Mysteries and the death of his godfather. It hadn't been his fault, but he still felt guilty about it. Rustling noises in the bushes on the side of the house quickly shook Harry from his thoughts and he pulled out his wand and crept cautiously to the corner of the house. There was nothing to be seen, but looking more closely he could see an occasional patch of grass flatten.

"Ah," he thought to himself, "someone is creeping around here in an invisibility cloak!"

Keeping close to the house, Harry stopped just feet away from the flattened grass and waited. When he saw the grass move again he pounced upon his mysterious stalker and tore off the cloak.

"Arrgh! Mmpf! Get off!"

"Never!" Harry cried. When he turned his stalker over he saw none other than the magical rolling eye of Mad Eye Moody.

"Sorry professor! I thought you were a stalker or a Death Eater," Harry explained with a grin.

"Yes, Potter. I suppose its not everyday you get to tackle an old professor. I guess I have taught you well. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he bellowed with a grin.

"Hey, wait a minute," Harry said, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, that? Never you mind. I have been sent here to deliver a message from Dumbledore. You will be starting training very soon. But I must be going, got business to attend to." Moody said as he shoved a large parchment envelope at Harry.

"Wait! Professor, aren't you going to…" as Moody disappeared with a soft pop. "Aren't you going to explain what it is?" Harry finished to himself. Sighing, Harry walked in through the back door past his cousin who was still poking around the kitchen completely oblivious to what had just happened in his own backyard. Once he was safely in his room with the door locked, Harry opened the envelope and started to read:

_Dear Harry,_

_It has come to my attention that soon, you will be of age and ready to be inducted into the Order. Induction, however, does not usually occur until the party to be inducted has reached the desired age and left Hogwarts, but exceptions are also to be made. Another thing has come to my attention as of late regarding your power as a wizard, something I believe to be very interesting indeed. Tomorrow you will begin your training. Enclosed is a portkey. To activate it you just need to tap it with your wand and whisper the words 'exploding snap' at exactly noon tomorrow._

_Best regards, _

_D._

Please read and review. Be gentle with the flames. If I get five reviews I will update tomorrow as I have many ideas for this fanfic!


	2. I'm what?

A/N: I own none of the characters, just the plot. A shout out to kstar, kooky-dolphin, and raman, thanks for reviewing my story!

"Exploding snap!" Harry muttered under his breath. The portkey, which was a quill, sprang to life and Harry felt the familiar tug at his navel and landed with a thud in the village of Hogsmeade. Brushing himself off he looked around and saw none other than Albus Dumbledore smiling at him from behind his half moon spectacles.

"Excellent, I see you have made it Harry." Dumbledore said. "If you would follow me you will get the answers to your questions."

Harry followed his headmaster through Hogsmeade and up the slope towards the Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore paused at the door and whispered an indiscernible incantation and the door creaked open. The smell of mildew and stale air greeted the two as they stepped over the threshold into the shack. Shutting the door behind Harry, Dumbledore whispered, "_Lumos_," and the room suddenly brightened to reveal a vast chamber. Racks of weapons lined the walls and in the far corner Harry thought he could see a few tall bookcases stuffed full of aging books.

Dumbledore conjured up a couple of plump arm chairs and motioned for Harry to sit down in one of them, then seating himself he adjusted his spectacles and began to speak.

"I have no doubt that you are wondering why I have brought you here to the Shrieking Shack and in the middle of your summer holidays," he paused, "I have something rather interesting to tell you about your late mother Lily."

Harry gulped and his thoughts swarmed through his head in confusion.

"But Dumbledore…" Harry started, only to be cut off with a wave of the headmaster's hand.

"Just listen first Harry, then you may ask your questions later," he said with a gentle smile.

"It seems that almost seventeen years ago, your mother fell in love with a wizard named Dimitrius. She met him at a muggle bar one night and they fell in love. James was not aware of the situation at first, but as months went by, he became very suspicious of her unexplained absences at night. James confronted Lily about it, but she just told him they were friends and nothing more. Unsatisfied, James asked Sirus to follow her out one night. When he came back, Sirus was visibly shaken and refused to talk to James. In frustration, he came to me and told the story and asked if I could arrange a meeting with Lily to find out the problem. Being a former Head Girl and a naturally gifted student, Lily was eager to see her old headmaster again. She only had one request, one I found rather strange at the time. She would meet with me only after seven pm that night. As soon as I set eyes on her I knew of her affliction. She had become paler and was skinnier than I had ever seen her. We got a table at the back of the Leaky Cauldron and I asked her how she had been. She barely had begun to talk when she told me she was pregnant with James' child. I was overjoyed at the news, but she began to cry. I finally persuaded her to tell me her story. It seems that this Dinitrius was a half-blood…half-wizard half vampire. She said he had told her the first night they met, but it didn't stop her from loving him. Unfortunately, he had bitten her one night in the heat of the moment, and she feared that her unborn child would suffer the consequences of her actions. She begged me to know if there was anything, a spell, or a potion that would protect her unborn baby, but sadly, no such magic existed. I urged her to tell James, but she said she couldn't. When we parted ways, she said she was happy she told someone, because the guilt had begun to weigh on her heart. I left and immediately dove into a pile of books. My research provided me with some relief, which I immediately relayed to Lily. It seems that half-blood vampires don't come into their powers until they come of age as wizards, so for the time being, I instructed her to carry on like normal and when the time came she would tell her child what had happened. She went to James and told him of her pregnancy, and that seemed to bring him relief and an explanation of her strange behavior. You were born not too long after, and the rest is history. My only regret was that we never got the chance to tell you. Your condition was not very far from my mind in the years that you grew up and came to Hogwarts. I kept a close watch on you waiting for signs that you were turning. And just last week, I came to a couple of realizations. First, it seems that your magical ability has always far exceeded those of your peers. I should have realized it sooner when you showed the ability to escape Lord Voldemort time and time again. And my second realization was that in light of your advancement, your powers would come of age earlier than others. I daresay by your next birthday, you should come of age. Because of this I have decided that you will need to begin training very soon, so you can learn to master your new powers."

Harry gulped; this was a lot of information for him to take in at once. When he had recovered he asked,

"So, what happens now? I mean if I am a vampire and a wizard, how will that work?"

"You will still attend Hogwarts, if that's what you were worried about, but you will also be training here at night and on the weekends. I've contacted some close friends and talked on the matter, and I have made arrangements for a couple of instructors to come train you." Dumbledore said.

"Now Harry, it is very important that you keep your heritage a secret, but knowing you, I can see that you will need some support, so maybe it is best that you also tell Ron and Hermione, but seeing how owls can be easily intercepted, maybe its best to wait and tell them when you go to the Burrow at the end of the month. Until then, you will be coming here everyday to train. You will meet your instructors tomorrow, but for now, you will go back to the Dursley's. I have a feeling that you have a lot of thinking to do."

Dumbledore rose and motioned for Harry to follow him to the door where he produced another portkey, tapped it and told Harry,

"You will use this same portkey everyday to come to Hogsmeade. I expect to see you tomorrow at six am."

And with that Harry felt that familiar tug on his navel and landed back in his room at number four Privet Drive.

A/N: Please read and review!


	3. Faraden

A/N: I own nothing but the plot and the characters you don't recognize.

Harry spent much of the night pondering Dumbledore's story in his head. It just didn't make any sense. How could he, Harry Potter, be a creature of the Dark Arts? Even in his Hogwarts books, vampires were not favorably looked on, and the way Professor Lupin had been treated because of his bloodline was not reassuring to Harry. His thoughts turned to Dumbledore and he felt a surge of anger rise in his chest.

"_How could he not tell me something like that_?" He sighed and turned over thinking to himself, "_Great, just another thing keeping me from being a normal kid_."

The next morning brought sunshine and noises of Uncle Vernon getting ready for work. Harry quickly glanced at his clock and saw that it was ten minutes to six.

"Damn!" Harry jumped out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Seven minutes later he was showered and down in the thankfully deserted kitchen getting a bite to eat.

At six, after making sure he had his wand and that he had let Hedwig out, Harry activated the portkey and landed in Hogsmeade. Nearing the Shrieking Shack, Harry suddenly remembered that he did not know the incantation Dumbledore had used the previous day. Having no other options, he knocked loudly on the wooden door and waited. The door swung open rather quickly and Harry saw none other than Professor Lupin. He greeted Harry warmly and led him into the shack.

"I'm glad you were able to make it today Harry, although I'm sure you received quite a shock yesterday, I'm here to reassure you that this is not the end of the world, but rather the beginning of a journey. On completion of this journey, you will have such a vast knowledge of your powers that you will be able to use and control them wandlessly."

Lupin led Harry to the fire where two high-backed, plush armchairs were positioned. Sitting in the first chair was Dumbledore his half-moon spectacles shining in the firelight. In the other chair a woman sat gazing deeply into the dancing flames. When they approached, she did not even acknowledge their presence, Dumbledore, however quickly rose to his feet and greeted them.

"Ah, I see you have made the trip without harm today Harry. I trust that you remember Professor Lupin. He will be one of your instructors." Dumbledore turned towards the other armchair and said, "And this is Faraden, she will be your other instructor. I'll leave the three of you alone now I have some business to attend to." And with that, Dumbledore disappeared with a pop!

Harry looked more closely at Faraden, who still hadn't moved an inch since he had entered the room. She had long, waist-length red hair, and her face, partially obscured by her hair was beautiful.

"Harry, come with me," Lupin said, "we have some things to do." Harry obediently followed Lupin into an adjacent room.

"I'm sure you're wondering what Faraden was doing back there. She is not ignoring us. She's in a trance right now, a sort of meditative state. I can assure you that she will join us shortly."

"Professor, you said that I would learn wandless magic? Isn't that something that only very powerful wizards can do?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, Harry but, you will soon be one of those few powerful enough to master it. Now, moving on, today you will begin an extremely difficult training regime. Both Faraden and I demand nothing but the best from you, and if you concentrate and prepare yourself for your change, I promise you that when it's over, you will not recognize yourself or your powers."

"Is he ready to begin?" called a voice from the doorway.

"Ah, Faraden," said Lupin, "Yes, Harry is ready."

"Follow me then." Harry got up and walked quietly behind Faraden into the room he had just been in, however, the room had been changed, it resembled the room he had seen on his first visit with Dumbledore. Weapons of all kinds lined the walls. Suddenly Faraden spun around and faced Harry.

"Today we will concentrate on basic fighting stances and movements, and then we will move into sword techniques. I trust that you will work hard."

Harry gulped, and replied, "I hope I can learn and remember everything you teach me."

"I'm sure you will, and stop being so scared, I'm not going to bite you," she laughed, and then laughed even harder at the horrified look on Harry's face. "I am here to be your teacher, your guide, and your friend. Don't ever be afraid to come to me about anything."

"_I wonder if she's a vampire too_," Harry thought to himself.

"Yes, Harry I am also a vampire, although I am not a half-blood, so any complicated magic will be taught by Lupin."

"How…what? Can you read my mind?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Faraden laughed, "that's just another thing you will soon learn how to do. Now, too much talk, let's begin."

For the next seven hours, Faraden taught Harry ground fighting, she became quite surprised at how quickly Harry was able to pick up and execute the techniques. Not too long after, they moved into sword techniques, taking short breaks here and there to refuel themselves. At the end of their session, they were both exhausted and sweating profusely.

"Wow! Harry you are a lot better than I ever expected you to be. I can see that it will be a challenge to keep you busy. Oh, one other thing before you go, you'll be coming with me to Diagon Alley soon. You need to get your weapons and perhaps, something better to wear if you are going to continue to train." She chuckled looking at his clothes. Harry looked down and laughed with her. He was quite a sight wearing Dudley's old clothes.

"Alright, I think I see what you mean," said Harry, "Do you think we could go tomorrow?"

"We'll see, but now its time for you to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Harry took out his portkey and landed safely in his room. As Harry drifted off to sleep he felt, for the first time since his godfather's death, that everything was going his way.

A/N: Please read and review!


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